It is desired to provide the operator of an automotive vehicle with as much information as is useful. The instrument panel is the standard medium for displaying such information. Some information, such as speed, is always displayed, while other information such as warnings of engine temperature, low water, or low oil pressure may be displayed only when an adverse condition exists. Such warning displays are termed "telltale" indicators or messages. The space available in instrument panels is often quite limited, so that there is not enough room to adequately dedicate space to each the desired messages.
It has been proposed to provide more information in a small space by reconfigurable displays which require substantial electronic support and high cost. Also reconfigurable telltale systems have been developed to sequentially display telltale messages. These telltale systems also tend to be expensive and moreover often require large package sizes. The versatility of reconfigurable telltale systems is desirable, but small package size and low cost are also desired along with system simplification.